Peter Yarrow, one third of folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, dies at 86

The songwriter behind the song "Puff, the Magic Dragon's" reputation took a significant hit when he confessed to inappropriately touching a 14-year-old in 1969; he received a pardon from the president at a later time.

Peter Yarrow, a singer, songwriter, and civil rights advocate known as a key figure in the 1960s folk music revival movement, along with the group Peter, Paul and Mary, passed away in New York City on Tuesday after a four-year fight with bladder cancer, at the age of 86.

He spoke about his family comforting him as he passed away.

Yarrow's daughter Bethany shared a statement saying, "Our brave dragon is exhausted and has reached the final chapter of its amazing life," referencing the hit song "Puff, the Magic Dragon," which he wrote with Peter, Paul and Mary. "The world is familiar with Peter Yarrow as the legendary folk activist, but the person behind the legend is just as kind, imaginative, passionate, joyful, and perceptive as his songwriting presents."

Here's a paraphrased version of the text:
Breathtaking by the conviction that a world that is more compassionate and gentle is not far fetched, bethany yarrow went on, "the unwavering faith of my dad has been the driving force behind his cause driven life. His quest was characterized by one core belief – that an unwavering harmony through singing could bring about change and mold a more beautiful world together. Hold onto believing in the enchantment."

Noel Paul Stookey, also known as the Paul of the group Peter, Paul and Mary, remembered Yarrow with a heartfelt statement, as shared with Entertainment Weekly.

As an only child, I received all of my parents' attention, but with Peter Yarrow joining the music trio, I gained a closer friend named Peter, who became a lifelong companion. He was my best man at my wedding, and I was his, and later he was like an uncle to my three daughters. Although we often didn't live close together due to our differing preferences for city and country life, our differing views were something we valued in our friendship and our music.

He mentioned that despite being slightly older than Yarrow, who was like a younger brother to him, he came to appreciate and truly love the maturity and kind advice Yarrow shared with him like an older sibling. Peter's political insight and emotional openness made him like a brother I had never had, and I will greatly miss him.

Yarrow was born on May 31, 1938, and grew up in New York before heading to Cornell University, where he discovered his love for folk music. As a senior, he taught an American folklore course called "Romp-n-Stomp" as an assistant, which further kindled his passion for the genre.

In 2015, "It was a really regressive period in our nation, and undoubtedly on college campuses with high academic standards. When students at that college took this course, their compassion and humanity shone through, and it was evident and relatable. I was aware that the world was on the cusp of a significant transformation, and I believed folk music would play a crucial role in it. It became the sound of that transformation."

In 1961, Grossman envisioned a folk trio inspired by the Weavers, who were popular with a younger audience. As a result, Travers and Stookey became part of the group that would become known as Peter, Paul and Mary, which launched in the same year.

Their music, known for its socially conscious lyrics and special harmonies, led to a recording contract with Warner Bros. Peter, Paul and Mary's unique sound played a key part in popularizing the folk music scene during the 1960s.

In August 1963, they firmly etched Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" into the March on Washington's history as an iconic civil rights anthem by performing it at the Lincoln Memorial. They further used their voices to express discontent with injustice through other songs, including "If I Had a Hammer" and "Where Have all the Flowers Gone?" by Pete Seeger and "Day Is Done" by themselves.

The trio also demonstrated a lighter, more playful side through songs like their hit single "Puff, the Magic Dragon", which was written by Yarrow and inspired by Leonard Lipton's 1959 poem. Over the course of their collaboration, Peter, Paul and Mary garnered five Grammy Awards, released two number one albums, and achieved six top-ten hits.

The trio decided to go their separate ways in 1970 to pursue solo projects, following the release of their last No. 1 hit, which was a cover of John Denver's "Leaving on a Jet Plane," recorded a year earlier. During 1969, Yarrow pleaded guilty to the charge of inappropriately interacting with a 14-year-old girl after he was discovered to have answered the door naked when she and her sister came to his hotel room to ask for an autograph.

Yarrow spent three months in jail and was later granted a pardon by President Jimmy Carter in 1981. The musician repeatedly apologized for the incident and expressed regret, including in 2019 when a renewed discussion of the incident led to him being asked not to attend a small-town arts festival.

I deeply regret my actions and acknowledge the harm I have caused, but I cannot express how deeply sorry and remorseful I am for the pain and suffering I have inflicted.

After breaking up in 1970, Peter, Paul and Mary reunited eight years later for a concert opposing nuclear power. They stayed together until Travers passed away. Yarrow and Stookey then continued performing individually and as a duo, with Yarrow often touring with his daughter, who is also a folk singer and activist.

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